Winds of Change ~ IC

[Vionna-Frankenlisch]

Thanks for posting guys, I know its a fairly busy time, doubly so for those still in education such as myself. I'll try my best to keep up posting despite the busy period and I hope you chaps can too.

Saint Gall Colony
Seaborne Spirit,
Old Kentish Dockyard

Current local time is ten minutes past midnight

"Well... Here we are." Bill said, gesturing to the establishment in front of him. Illuminated dimly, the face of the building barely shined through the darkness of the night, it had the outside appearance of any pub back in the Vionna-Frankenlischian mainland, perhaps slightly younger in its construction but still very similar to those places that dot any Vionnan country town. Elii and Sohvi did not look entirely impressed, an expression Bill was used to seeing in disturbingly similar circumstances, he grinned deviously and said, "Don't worry, you haven't seen inside yet..."

He led the pair gingerly towards the dingy building and pushed open the cold, oak doors to allow the foreigners' entry. Smiles soon lit up all three faces. On the inside, one might be mistaken for believing this was just a simple pub where Davis Stout Ale was universally enjoyed yet never ran out and where Balonic tourists made fools out of themselves daily while trying to master the local lingo, that was indeed the face of the establishment. Several uniformed officers of the local defence forces and the local police force sat at a table discussing recent events in a polite yet somehow confrontational manner. Several constables of the Dockyard Police Station, headed by a bear-like Sergeant, downed Hardskar Stone Ale by the pint glass. To one side of the room, a group of sailors from a ship named the Eleanor, a merchant navy carrier just recently docked to refuel with a small fleet of trawlers and colliers, sat drinking from two bottles of Admiral Jack's. This would be a regular sight in any town of the Vionna-Frankenlischian mainland but the sounds would not be, a deep rhythm rebounding from a large back area which Bill led the pair towards.

The door was heavy, probably thanks to the various countermeasures keeping the loud music from within bothering those in the front of the building. Behind the door was a heavier scene still, a club worthy of any such establishment on the mainland, packed to the brim with teenagers and young adults identifiable from sixteen to around twenty-six, although some could easily be thirty or older. Most were in various states of inebriation and many danced embarrassingly poorly or confusingly well. The music pounded at the walls of the large room in a headache-inducing assault on the ears of those present. Bill grinned and turned to his foreign companions. "Well?" He asked.

Government House

"I have said once, I have said twice and I have said it again..." Sir Alex grumbled, clearly wishing to shout the words but forcing diplomatic niceties to keep his voice down, "I cannot communicate with His Majesty's Government, I do not have the correct channels to do so while His Majesty is unwell, even if that bloody doctor of his wasn't keeping us from talking to the King or the Government, we wouldn't be able to speak to them with any degree of legitimacy anyway."

Sir Alex kicked his head back and downed what remained of his glass. His face was one of defeat and he looked a broken man, he eyed his neatly prepared uniform and revolver on the table with a degree of terrified resignation "Your support is appreciated, and your attempts to speak to His Majesty's Government are also but I don't know what will come of them. If what you say about Urat is correct then it won't make any difference, we'll have been conquered by the time a response force arrives." He closed his eyes as if to compose himself for the truth, "I will be dead and so will most of my men... This island will be Uratic and I don't know if even the great guns of the fleet, the unfathomable force of His Majesty's armies or the immense behemoth of the Imperial Air Service will be able to dislodge Urat then." Tears welled up in MacAllen's sunken, tired eyes, "I think... I think for once we are actually losing."

"Go..." He said after a solid minute of staring at his gun and uniform, "Get your citizens and diplomats off of the island. Urat won't see your ambassador, you don't know them like I do. You should leave now before they invade. You can make your call in the lobby..."

Kingdom of Frankenlisch
City of Frankenlisch,
11 Parliament Square
Office of the Prime Minister

Ambassador Hoffman and Captain van Cleef were stopped in the lobby of 11 Parliament Square by a girl sitting at a desk in the centre of the room. "I'm very sorry, sir," Count Zimmermann's she said, seemingly sincerely, "The Prime Minister has just left to visit His Majesty the King. You may wait here, or I can contact the security at Imperial Palace to allow you access." She looked up at the two men with a benevolent yet uninterested expression. "It's up to you..."

[Letwinist States]

Seaborne Spirit,
Old Kentish Dockyard

"Wow!" Sohvi exclaimed, looking around the room and nodding her head with the music's beat. "I mean, sorry but... I did not expect this."

Elii too looked utterly surprised at the building's inside, grinning broadly at a young man whose style of dancing reminded her more of pathological convulsions than anything else she had ever seen. "I love the music", she screamed at Bill and Sohvi, "it really does invite dancing. Should we go in a bit further?"

"Sure, what do you say, Bill?" Sohvi stopped for one second: "Wait! First, I would be very interested in seeing what you drink around here."

Prime Minister Florentijn Moleman's Estate,
Island of Tohen,
Republic of Tohen.

They had once again met in Florentijn's estate, despite their numbers being slightly diminished. Once again present were, however, the heads of the secret police, foreign intelligence service, armed forces. "Therefore, I suggest that should Urat assault St Gall-"

"Which they will." An old man with greying hair interrupted the previous speaker, rolling his thick cigar between his thumb and middle finger and pulling his eyebrows up.

"As you say so." The original speaker retorted. She was a short woman dressed in a naval dress uniform and not in any way willing to be challenged by the man's rudeness. "We have our carrier strike group ready to intervene and attack St Gall ourselves. There have been suggestions that we divert the Kingdom's attention from the island before facts are secured by attacking their mainland. However, the naval command has agreed that this might make the Isles of Tohen vulnerable to an attack. We, therefore, argue against it."

Florentijn stroked his chin, contemplating their options. "I will send word to Urat assuring them of our uncompromising loyalty at once. Even if the message is decoded, this will hopefully not give anything away but let them know that we intend to aid them. As for our defences, I agree with you. We should protect our fatherland. Draw up a plan to raid Vionnan shipping without sending our ships completely out of reach of Tohen. The harassment will be enough shock and confuse those royalists enough, I hope. It is late and I have a message to send to our friends, feel free to drink up and discuss, but I shall retire. Good night, my friends!"

[Vionna-Frankenlisch]

Saint Gall Colony
Seaborne Spirit,
Old Kentish Dockyard

Bill nodded happily and led the pair over to a flashy looking bar positioned rather obstructively next to the area restricted for those confident or influenced enough to try dancing. He sidled up, clearly familiar with the staff. "Alright 'Sal?" He asked in a manner both mocking and friendly.
"Bill," She replied affirmatively, "What's 'yer liquor? And who are these young doves?"
Bill grinned. "A couple of foreign beauties," He replied, "And such lovely creatures require fine care. I shall have three glasses and a bottle of Hardskar Brandy."
The Bartender seemed shocked, "Hardskar is rare here, you know that, Bill? And a bottle? That'll cost you fifty Lucans, are you sure?"
"Quite sure, and some ice Poppy Water to keep things cool."

Inquisitively, yet at least asking no more questions, the Bartender turned and brought up three glasses, a bottle of a dark amber liquid labelled as Hardskar Gold and another bottle with a decidedly milky liquid contained within. "Fifty-eight Lucans, please, Mister Dawes." She said, respectfully. Bill forked over three crisp Twenty Lucan notes produced from his leather wallet which, in the short moment it was open, seemed to be brimming with cash, cards and pieces of paper. "If you'd like to follow me..." He said happily, leading the two girls over to a table where he set down the small tray holding the beverages and glasses. Without speaking, he poured out the amber, sweet-smelling brandy into the three glasses and took a short sip from one before sitting down and gesturing to his companions to do the same.

Republic of Tohen
Royalist Encampment

'This is it...' Edward thought to himself optimistically, standing in front of his assembled comrades. He began, "The day is almost here, soon we will be able to arise and restore this island to its rightful leader!" He declared with no small gusto. "This nation's vile leadership is electing to support Urat in its ill-fated expedition, their poor choice of friends will be their downfall... The day will soon come, very soon, that His Imperial Majesty will see fit to free this island and its people from their chains of repression and bondage to once more be as free as any other man. Under His Imperial Majesty, King James, this dream will come true." There was tremendous applause from the small crowd of men and women present, some of whom bore clear signs of their support for the Vionna-Frankenlischian monarchy, others seemed just to be normal people who disliked Tohen's current government and social system and most importantly were representatives of the indigenous people. Natives to the island who, for centuries, had been oppressed and almost enslaved by the businessmen and politicians of Tohen's Republic, these were men with nothing to lose but their lives, but their freedom to gain and the monarchists seemed to provide the means to an end, even if it meant exchanging one authority for another.

The royalist camp was nothing spectacular, positioned deep in the woods around an old colonial church, a group of tents, shacks and the unimpressive structure of the religious mission itself. Constructed, as most of the colonial buildings were, from adobe clay and crumbling somewhat from years of neglect. The altar, once bearing instruments of Christian worship, now bore the weight of Andyism and smaller shrines along the sides of the structure allowed the native people to pray to their respective gods. In the building's cellar lay small stocks of arms, ammunition and explosives along with all sorts of war material stolen from shipments, bases or received as aid. The newest addition to this ever-growing collection was a SCARAB radio set, received from an anonymous officer of the Imperial Intelligence Service, this piece of equipment was specifically to contact Vionna-Frankenlischian commanders on Saint Gall, the closest Imperial possession, and had so far remained mostly untested aside from the initial establishment of contact. This was the first time in two months that the machine had crackled into action.

With a deafening crackle, the large radio set whirred into motion and a voice began to break through, "Hello? This is Brigadier General Hope, commander of the Gallian First Brigade, please respond if you can hear me." Edward descended the ladder into the church's cellar to see what the matter was and saw his communication's officer, Countess Arianne, moving hurriedly towards the SCARAB set and turning the microphone on. "I say again, this is Brigadier General Hope, commander of the Gallian First Brigade, please respond." The voice repeated before Arianne could respond.
"This is Camp Crown, responding, please explain your identity and purpose." She said, clearly having not heard the man's previous messages properly.
Hope spoke up again, "Camp Crown, this is Brigadier General Adrian Hope, I am the commander of the First Gallian Brigade on Saint Gall. Intelligence has reached us that Urat is preparing an invasion of Saint Gall, I speak to you as Tohen is likely to join Urat in this venture. His Imperial Majesty's representative, Major General Sir Alex MacAllen and, by extension, His Majesty the King, request and require you to begin distruptive operations against the government and forces, if nessecary the economy, of Tohen. More information to follow, out."

[New Edom]

St. Gall Colony
Approaching Government House

Consul Aaron Nemgadi was not a happy man. He was now dressed in a formal suit, trying to avoid anything controversial. he had a civil service uniform in his closet and medals in a drawer but preferred not to wear them save to the most formal occasions. He was no hero; he was just a man trying to do his humble duty to make things easier on Edomite travel;ers and enjoy his postings, and now...he had hoped Geta would reassure him that all was in hand, and now it was snowballing. To everyone's shock, the Vionna-Frankenlisch foreign minister had called for help.

He did not have a driver formally, but on important occasions one of the small four man security detail would drive him somewhere for the sake of dignity. He called on his cellphone before getting in the car.

"I apologize for the urgency, but I really need to see Sir Alec immediately," he informed Government House. "I have a communique between our respective foreign ministers I must convey, and I'm afraid it must be face to face and in private."

He hoped he would receive a call back confirming this, but he had been instructed to go anyway if need be and pound on the door if need be. He tried to control his worry and keep from sweating into his suit. This was far above his pay grade, but he was the only diplomat on the ground, damn it.

Fineberg, New Edom

"Absolutely not," said General Unwerth. He was finishing up his arrangements for travel to Novitera for an important regional conference. "We cannot afford to send one Marine Infantry Regiment. I do not know why you promised it."

"Jonathan, you leave me in an awkward position," Hosidius Geta said over the phone. "It is part of our alliance obligation, and I did promise."

Unwerth seemed implacable. "Leave those, I'll deal with them when I get back," he told his secretary. "You did not properly consult me. We have two regional crises in our region, not one, and we are spread thing as it is. I do not know what you are thinking. We already have one Marine Infantry regiment deployed in Arcologia, two others in Gavinium, and now you want to send a fourth abroad? I will tell the King that you did not properly consult me."

"The King will want to support the Alliance," Geta insisted, undaunted. "Do you want to tell him that we should not have signed it, and then agree that we should give the Commoners back what we got in defense procurements?"

There was a silence at this.

"It is a matter of honour," added Geta. He knew, of course, that all this went against Unwerth's plans for his own empire building, and that calling him on this would make things awkward for him.

"Not a Marine Infantry Regiment," growled Unwerth. "Nor Lancers nor Hussars nor Guards. Something else."

Geta had been talking with the Chiefs of Staff since then and the Deputy Minister of Defense about what was possible. Lucas Covenant, the Deputy Minister, proposed that the following would be acceptable to them: a Light Infantry Regiment, a Fusilier Regiment, and an LHD with a frigate and destroyer would be the very limit.

Geta, backed up by Undersecretary Corbulo and Undersecretary Jerome, finally obtained a Light Infantry Regiment that would be supported by the LHD's helicopter squadron, and a Fusilier Battalion that would back them up with light tanks and light armour with a field artillery battery and a combat engineer company. These units, while not the ones he had hoped for, were tough, led by resourceful commanders with field experience, and would mostly just lack the ability to swarm ashore as quickly and lacked experience at amphibious warfare. As he understood it from the Chiefs and Deputy Minister, these were issues that could be overcome.

Drained from all this, he had to sustain himself, and did so with his lovely private secretary Lara in his town house after giving her a fine meal. They both had to be nourished, after all.

San Marco,
Peregrino,
New Edom

Brigadier-General Samuel Hod, Governor of Peregrino, regarded the paper before him glumly. A man of craggy features and hard dark eyes, he looked very much the part of an arrogant senior officer of Baran descent, capable of wading through rivers of blood and leading men to war. In fact, within, he was a sentimental man who struggled to maintain that exterior. And now, at last, he was being sent abroad from a post he had loved dearly. A devout Edenist, he loved the people of the island, sympathized with them, had struggled to make sure that there was a peaceful division during its civil war and had tried to be cooperative yet firm with the opposite side. The one woman he thought he might have loved, an exotic strange woman from Ghant, a heathen, whom his family would never have accepted, being a heathen, had vanished. He had decided to content himself with his office and the people he tried to make lives better for. And now he was being ordered abroad.

"Do not see this as a departure forever" had urged Count Sharra, the Minister of the Interior. "See it merely as an adventure to help our allies in Vionna-Frankenlisch, then home. Turn your duties over to the Lieutenant-Governor, and plan for your heroic celebration."

"Congratulations, my dear Hod," General Unwerth had informed him by telephone. "Of all officers, I could think no better than you to lead this."

No better than he? He had never done such an undertaking, though he had trained for it certainly. His past conflicts had been light infantry tactics in the hills and valley and rocky country of the very province he governed, and before that in Raith Immel in the deep forests. But duty must.

Hod was an untitled aristocrat of ancient family who had been retainers to the House of Pahath-Moab when they were still princes in their own right, and it was in the old sagas. They had been among those who before the days of the Lawgiver had fought to accept Christianity. They had always done their duty.

With some matters in his own hands, he was able to maintain his own staff and choose which of the Peregrino Regiments he wanted to bring, and he chose the Paraclete Regiment as one of the steadiest. He asked for and received 2nd Battalion, 104th Fusilier Regiment.

Captain Jacopus Iglesias was to be in command of the naval expedition in the grade of Commodore, and NENS Port Autovia was assigned as LHD, Saul as destroyer, Chauve-Souris as frigate. He and Commodore Iglesias were to act in concert to make all necessary preparations for an expedition to St. Gall.

He stiffened his sinews. The orders, ultimately, were from his King. The anointed of God. He would do his best to make this expedition work and to save St. gall from invasion.

[New Edom]

Athens Coffee Franchise,
Near St Gall Technical College,
Colony of St Gall,
Vionna-Frankenlisch.

Ruth, at work, tied an apron on, tied her hair into a ponytail, and washed her hands thoroughly, and then got to work. she was very diligent and found the work almost soothing, except when people barked at her or got impatient with her. At times her accent surprised people, but she had a quiet, polite manner that seemed to soothe some customers. She spoke with the other staff and dutifully checked the work list to see what cleaning and prep needed to be done.

She made sure the steamer was clean and that there was plenty of milk in the one container and water int he other; she made sure that the coffee pots were full and fresh. She checked how much they had of different pastries and other goodies in the coolers and containers, that there was bread for sandwiches, that soup containers were full and what there was available and checked the menu to see that it corresponded with the supplies, to see if anything needed to be brought forward from storage in the back. She always tried to be early so she could spend five minutes beofre her shift being prepared to start it well informed. Ruth could not escape the feeling of being at risk of losing a job and so she felt she had to be extra diligent at all her tasks.

With her brief sundress on, one could buy the illusion that she was nude but for her green apron with the cafe logo on it. Her bare arms and legs from the knees down certainly gave that illusion from the front as would glimpses of her bare upper back. She saw a pair of, to her, glamorous foreign women chatting and being then chatted to by a nice looking man, and the Sin of Envy came over her. She felt ashamed, but it was so strong. They looked so carefree and happy, and they could just hang about, drink and eat the expensive food and drink and then go swanning off like that.

Ruth knew she was not unattractive, and that tidied and made more fashionable she was an eye-catcher, she was not a fool. But she had been warned all her life to be cautious of that, to look at the results of young girls who had let themselves be married to the first fellow who came along, or who had wandered into sinful lives and then gotten knocked up or put in foul sinful circumstances, and she had become determined to get a high paying job where she would have some protection of her own. But it was a hard and lonely path sometimes. This job helped pay her way through life and made her less of a burden on her family as she pursued her education.

She murmured a brief prayer of Thanksgiving to draw her mind away from her wicked thoughts and smiled at the next customer. "Welcome to Athens! May I take your order?"

Yes, she was grateful to the government that had made her educational journey possible, as well as to her family and the Lord of course.

That same government meanwhile sent an important message abroad.

---

To: The Right Honourable Elizabeth McCord, Secretary of State for Noordeinde
From: Hosidius Geta, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Allied States of New Edom
CC: The Right Honourable Larry Tristram, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Subject: Urat/Vionna-Frankenlisch Relations
Encryption: Moderate


Madame Secretary,

I believe that this is our first official correspondence. I hope that this message finds you well, and the people of your glorious nation too.

I have reviewed your recent press conference, and the concerns your government has been presenting. I am aware that you have visited St. Gall Colony and that the crisis brewing there is one which your government is focusing on. My nation is an ally with Vionna-Frankenlisch, and we have been in communication with their government. I believe it is possible that we may be wise to act in concert to provide assistance if that is your government's intention.

Therefore I would like to ask if you would be kind enough to share those intentions with my government, and if you would consent to meeting with our diplomat in St. Gall, Mr. Aaron Nemgadi, so that we can coordinate a response if that would be amenable to you.



I have the honour to be,
Hosidius Geta,
Foreign Minister

[Vionna-Frankenlisch]

Saint Gall Colony
Athens Coffee Franchise,
Near St Gall Technical College

"Just tea." Jock said, smiling only very weakly. "Please." He affirmed with a nod. His eyes were reddened and one could, at a glance, take this for hashish but closer inspection would show that it was from crying. Wiping moisture from the edge of these weary eyes with a damp handkerchief, Jock looked up at Ruth and smiled, "Could be my last cup," he said, producing his wallet from the inside of his khaki tunic. His helmet was held under his left arm and his leather holster was closed but the bulky shape of it was enough to make anyone uneasy. He waited in solemn silence for a reply or just his drink as, after all, 'It could be my last...'

Government House

"Very good, Mister Nemgadi." Anna said, her eyes as tired as Lieutenant Phillips', "Sir Alex is awaiting you in his study, it is the first door on the left as you enter the building." She put the phone down and yawned, time for a well-deserved rest. She stood up from her desk and walked away to one of Government House's guest bedrooms. There would be no going home tonight when she might be needed at a moment's notice, so she bedded down and fell into an uneasy slumber.

[New Edom]

Government House,
St. Gall

Aaron Nemgadi mopped his brow and hands, and fumed as he leaned over the back seat. "Get me the hand powder from the glove compartment."

"Yes Your Honour," said the driver, fumbling around for it. "Can't find it."

"What? It's always there," exclaimed Nemadi.

"Er, I think Corporal Cushan cleaned the car yesterday," offered the driver.

"Blasphemers in Hell! Alright, alright..." he glanced at the door. "I'm geting out now, " he said flatly.

The driver jumped out, opened his door and saluted him as he got out.

Nemgadi nodded and headed in through the door, and went towards Sir Alec's office.

Once he was there, he bowed and said, "Sir, on behalf of King Elijah and Queen Mara, greetings. I apologize for pushing for this meeting so urgently, but I do not know if you have been in communication with your foreign ministry. However, I wish to present you with the correspondence and our government's proposed expedition in response to the threats presented to your government." Whereupon he presented the Governor with copies of the correspondence which were marked with the security labels on it as well. "Er, I realize I am only a consul, but I have been instructed to act by our own Foreign Minister..."

When the Governor had read them, he also said, "We do not know, also, if you came to any agreements with Secretary McCord as a result of her visit. At any rate sir, you are the Governor. We are offering assistance, and we would like to cooperate with you. And, er, there is the matter of our own citizens. Naturally as allies we share your concern you would naturally have for your own people here, and of course we have much concern for our own. We have no information from you." He realized he was rambling a bit. "I beg your pardon, sir, I had to rush here. In any case, how can we cooperate to the best of our ability? What should I be informing our own expat community?"

[New Edom]

Fineberg, New Edom

Geta's struggles were not over. While Unwerth had accepted the idea of an expedition, he had received a terse phone call.

"Hosidius, I was just discussing the idea of this expedition to St. Gall, and the King isn't happy about it. You are ware that there were some intelligence failures in the recent Gavinium Magnus campaign around Jacobium,. In the present situation, there is virtually no intelligence at all."

Geta sighed and twiddled his pen and leaned back in his chair. "What do you want me to do, sir?"

Prince Enoch replied, "Ashdod is going to be reviewing all intelligence available about the Republic of Urat. What force projection can they bring to bear against St. Gall? What logistical support would this have? How long could they maintain it? What intelligence to they have? Let me be clear, Hosidius: if we get bad answers to this we're not going to be backing an expedition this hasty. Maintain your position. But be ready to deal with explaining delays if the intelligence would reqire us to provide stronger support. We're not throwing the lives of our people away or our materiel away."

"Is the King displeased?" asked Hosidius Geta as calmly as he could.

"Of course he is," said Prince Enoch in his casual drawl. "The Ministers cooked up a scheme to propose a military expedition and you pushed for it with Lalery's consent but did not consult the King. The King is commander-in-chief, did you think he wouldn't find out?"

Geta felt a heartburn suddenly rise up. I...God, I never meant..."

"Relax, Geta." said Prince Enoch. "You have been a good foreign Minister, the King is pleased with that. But it is unfortunate that you got involved in this foolish scheme. You know your duty, cary it out."

"I hope that I can explain to the King..."

"The King will see you at the recital, perhaps," said Prince Enoch and hung up.

Geta ground his teeth and took an antacid from his desk and swallowed it with now tepid water from a glass. He had overstepped. That was clear. He had felt it was a routine matter, and because Count Lalery had agreed, he had moved forward. But Lalery had been distracted, and so he had been drawn. Unwerth. Unwerth was to blame...

Meanwhile, Major-General John Ashdod was returning from reviewing a series of interrogations when he got the message from Prince Enoch that Urat was over concern. He was driving back to his Ministry building and said "Nimrod, I want you to look into this Urat thing," as his Chief of Operations sat beside him. Ashdod was a balding man in advanced middle years with a moustache who Prince Enoch privately described as a man who looked like a country gentleman returning from pruning his vines. They were friends and attended the same club. Gad Nimrod was a once grand looking, hawk nosed and high cheeked man who now looked like he was slowly melting, his flesh sagging beneath his chin and around his mouth, but he still had an air of command, a good sense of humour to go along with his grim job.

"I'll open a file today," said Nimrod. "We have some information of course, but not complete. What's going on?"

"Support for Imperion, some place called St. Gall. Find out about that too and report to me alone, understand?" said Ashdod.

[Noordeinde]

Government House - St. Gall

Elizabeth was surprised when Sir MacAllen repeated that he was not able to get in contact with his government. She wondered why he simply did not pick-up the phone and dial the number of the Prime Minister's office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Defence. There had to be a way in order for him to reach his superiors in Vionna - Frankenlisch. She then got an idea: "Your excellency, let me reiterate, again, that the United States government fully supports your government and that, if neccesary, the United States will act against any country that is aggressive towards St. Gall. Now I won't be leaving the island. Instead I strongly urge you to come with me to the United States Consulate-General, right here on the island. As you know the Consulate is diplomatic protected territory and from there you would be able to command your troops, in case of an invasion. Please let me emphasize as well that St. Gall needs a leader right now, one that is alive and not dead."

For a moment she paused and she looked at her personal bodyguard who, all this time, had stood in the corner of the room. He nodded at her and Secretary McCord continued: "Sir, if Urat would target either you, me or any other U.S. citizen for that matter on the island, they will be in serious trouble. Since the Consulate has a diplomatically protected status, Urat's government would be incredibly stupid to target us there. In case they would try to assinate you or me there, for example, by bombing the Consulate I can assure you that the United States government will respond with hell and furry." Elizabeth took another sip from her glass of brandy and she went on: "We can take you there immediatley. Beside that, the Consulate has a press briefing room and the tools to broadcast live on the internet. As you may know, or not know, but more than a dozen journalists have also traveled along with me on this trip. At the Consulate we would be able to safely host a press conference and inform the world, including your own government in Vionna - Frankenlisch, that St. Gall is in danger. We might be just in time to rally the world around St. Gall and protect it from being invaded by Urat. This will be breaking news!"

"Now you don't have to worry about your own security.." McCord continued: "I am surounded by men and women with guns. They're my personal security detail from the Diplomatic Security Service and they've been reinforced by a Marine Security Guard Detachment. The Consulate is also guarded by Marines. If Urat is really that stupid to attack us there, on the premises of our Consulate, I can assure you the United States Military will respond with all of its power. In that case Urat will not only start a war with your country but also with the United States. I don't think Urat wants that to happen to them. It is up to you, sir." McCord knew that it was a risky move to make but it was one of the last options that she had. "If we go now, I can call President Hoekstra in my car and inform him that we are on our way to the Consulate." In the meanwhile Elizabeth received an email on her State Department phone. She opened the message and noticed that the Edomite Minister of Foreign Affairs had contacted her. She handed her phone to her Chief of Staff, who immediatley wrote a reply. Not much later the Edomite Consul walked in.

11 Parliament Square - Office of the Prime Minister - Vionna Frankenlisch

Ambassador Hoffman and Captain van Cleef were surprised to hear that the Prime Minister had just left and had gone to the palace. "I just spoke to him on the phone, about 15 minutes ago" the ambassador said while looking at the girl behind the desk. "Please call him again, as well as the palace and tell them that we are on our way and that it is very urgent. As a matter of fact it is a matter of national security" ambassador Hoffman continued. Both men walked out of the building and stepped right into their waiting car. "To the Imperial Palace" Hoffman said to the DSS agent behind the wheel and with lights and sirens on the three cars left Parliament Square.

---

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE
UNITED STATES OF NOORDEINDE

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE

February 10th, 2018

Your Excellency Minister Geta,

I hereby write to you on behalf of Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord. At this moment we are still meeting at Government House with His Majesty's Representative on St. Gall. On behalf of the Secretary I would like to thank you for the willingness to provide any assistance neccesary to help protect the territorial integrity of the Colony of St. Gall.

I believe your consul has just entered the room and we are about to meet him. Of course we would like to discuss cooperation between our two countries. We do, however, wish to continue our meeting at the U.S. Consulate-General in St. Gall since we believe that it is safer to conduct our talks there. Especially since the Consulate enjoys diplomatic protection and we do not expect that Urat would likes to go to war with the U.S. too, in case they had any plans to attack our diplomatic mission.

Yours Sincerely,
Nadine Tolliver
Chief-of Staff to the Secretary of State
United States of Noordeinde

[Vionna-Frankenlisch]

To be edited. I thought I should get something out to acknowledge replies but this still has some work ahead.
If anyone is in need of information then please TG me, put something in the OOC or contact me via Discord.

Colony of Saint Gall
Government House

"With all due respect, Ma'am, you don't quite understand. If Urat invades and your nation's forces intervene then nobody will be safe at your Consulate, not you, not me, not even your men with guns. It would be an act of war for the Noordeinden military to engage forces of Urat anyway. Nonetheless, I thank you for your offer but it would stain my honour to cower in a foreign consulate rather than direct Gallian forces from Saint Gall Camp. I believe, also, that it would be safer there." Sir Alex replied, as respectfully as he could. "If I may suggest, if you are unwilling to leave Saint Gall, return to your Consulate and bunker down. Now, If you'll excuse me for a moment, I believe the Edomite consul is soon to arrive."

Sir Alex bowed his head and left the room, quickly descending to his study and sitting himself down. It wasn't long until he heard the front door open and Anna tell Consul Nemgadi about Alex's whereabouts. He bowed his head respectfully to Nemgadi's greetings and gesturing for the man to sit down. Upon reading the documents and hearing out what Nemgadi had to say he replied, "Well, sir, you flatter me by calling me the Governor and, in truth, I am in all but name. The King is our elected Governor, I am simply his duly appointed representative, where I Governor, we would not be in this damned mess in the first place. I would be glad to receive any support that your nation has to offer, especially militarily as we need everything we can get to stand against Urat. I suggest that you gather your citizens at the Edomite consulate and try to evacuate those that wish to leave, which should be all of them, Andy willing."

[New Edom]

Colony of Saint Gall
Government House


Aaron Nemgadi smiled. "Forgive me, I am a bit ill at ease. My sudden appointment. Well...you advocate evacuation. it is that serious then. I will put out the word immediately and keep in touch with your office. Thank you very much for warning me." His phone buzzed but he ignored it. Andy? What or who was Andy? He also sat down and crossed his legs.

"There is something else then--the issue of what intelligence your government has about Urat's intentions. Our Ministry of Police is naturally investigating the matter, but we don't know anything about their current build up. You see...this tells you I am but a consul still in my mind, I do not even know to lie and pretend we know all!" he quirked a slight smile. "But seriously though, surely only God knows all.

"My government is preparing to send 2 regiments--approximately 6,000 troops--supported by 12 vertical take off and landing fighters, about 16 helicopters, a transport vessel and two escorts. There is a concern about whether the numbers will be enough, what the strategic situation is, where they should deploy to if the enemy have not yet arrived, and where they should deploy to if the enemy have already arrived. And of course we need to know if there has been some agreement reached with Noordeinde. My, er, government has been in touch with them too."

[Vionna-Frankenlisch]

Colony of Saint Gall
Government House

"No official agreement has been decided upon as they appear confused by our inability to contact home but they have ships and men nearby and I believe they intend to support us when Urat launches their attack. They don't seem to understand that supporting us against Urat in combat is an act of war, I've just been speaking with their Secretary of State for Foreign Policy, she appears to be of the belief that a Uratic invasion would take the international community by storm and that they wouldn't dare attack the Noordeinden Consulate even if Noordeinde supports us militarily against them. I'm sure you understand, sir, that she is correct in neither assumption. Our situation is only a source of interest in Urat and Vionna-Frankenlisch and the Commonwealth, also, Urat would be perfectly justified in launching an attack against the Noordeinden Consulate if it represented a strong point of resistance." Sir Alex MacAllen explained, patiently, his eyes flickering with tiredness. "The only nation I foresee as supporting Urat is Tohen, a horrible little republic run by bigoted oligarchs who oppress the native population and mistreat the ethnic Vionnan and Frankenlischian population. I have contacted the Royalists on the island who support us to get them to provide intelligence and disrupt government activity. This said, I doubt they are in much of a shape to do heavy damage, hopefully, we'll hold out long enough for His Majesty's Government to send them support."

Colony of Altenhoulwerder
Colonial Council

This was the first time since the occupation of the homeland that the colonial council had been entirely in agreement, Saint Gall had to be defended. Sebastian Von Houle, the colony's Governor, had brought the subject to the table following warnings of a Uratic invasion from both the royalist underground forces on Tohen, which he happily supported, and Saint Gall's Service Councillor and Public Works Administrator, Gerald Waters. Von Houle had argued that, as Imperial allies, Vionna-Frankenlisch and Germana were bound by treaty to aid each other anyway and supplementing Saint Gall's defence with troops and supplies would only be pre-empting an official response. In fact, as Von Houle had informed the council, Altenhoulwerder would doubtlessly benefit from this as they would be 'leading the charge' when it came to Germanan support and that the Frankenlischian King would, no doubt, shower them with praises and rewards.

Doctor Steiner, as usual, raised her 'educated doubts' but, for once, these were looked over by her and she decided to support the movement to aid Saint Gall. Baron Wenkhauser who commanded the colonial forces, along with government forces in exile, agreed from the start and, despite his usual reluctance to go into action, lent his support and projected a possible force of fifteen aircraft, six ships and ten thousand soldiers. The vote was unanimous. Saint Gall would be defended. The Baron had left immediately to prepare his forces and his naval advisor, Leutnant Itten, had made her way to the docks to requisition ships for transport. Steiner had excused herself to continue one of her infamous projects and Von Houle retired for bed minutes later. Over the course of an hour the remaining councillors trickled from the room.

[New Edom]

Colony of Saint Gall
Government House


Aaron Nemgadi nodded in response. "Perhaps we might include the Nord Foreign Secretary in this conversation at some point. If they are going to be involved on a military level and you have accepted that, Sir Alex, we might want to work as closely as possible to avoid confusion. That of course leads to military disasters.

"Er...in light of a lack of general intelligence, my government wants to fly in an intelligence and special operations team to work with your government and coordinate with my own. We want, in particular, to move our people to the most vulnerable positions to monitor any enemy activity and we'd appreciate information on where that is. Would that be acceptable?"

"I have also been instructed to ask who our people should should be in direct contact with--is that you, sir, or do you have a military officer you would prefer our intelligence team to coordinate with?"

"Finally, we are anticipating at least a few days before our reinforcements arrive. Fortunately we are engaged in expeditionary activity in our own region right now and it simply required a diversion." He did not add that the Ministry of Defense was not thrilled by this pressure from the Foreign Ministry and Presidency to do this. He worried that the might find reasons to drag their feet, make excuses, and so he saw the intelligence mission as vital. Of course he hoped they sent someone who would be taken seriously.

[Vionna-Frankenlisch]

Colony of Saint Gall
Government House

"Of course, I'll send for her in a moment." Sir Alex replied, "As for intelligence, I leave any reconnaissance your government wishes to conduct to their own prerogative but we are grateful for any support you can offer. I am not only His Majesty's Representative on this island but also the colony's Military Tribune, thus I am in command of land, sea and air forces on this island. It would, therefore, be best for your troops to operate under my direction or, shall I rather say, coordination."

Kingdom of Frankenlisch
City of Frankenlisch
1 Parliament Square
Imperial Palace

The gate guards opened the great steel barriers to allow Ambassador Hoffman's convoy into the front checkpoint to Imperial Palace. A courtyard area, surrounded by metal fencing and small, pretty, red-brick buildings containing a tiny barracks, an even smaller canteen and kitchen along with more important installations such as an armoury, storage room, holding cells and a communication centre. The Ambassador and his accompanying staff were politely ordered, at gunpoint, out of their cars until the guards realised who they were, at which point they were escorted sheepishly to the front doors of Imperial Palace itself.

Once inside, Hoffman and van Cleef were led through a multitude of grand corridors and halls to a small conference room in the most modern wing of the palace which was an ugly mishmash of modern glass-based architecture and the Carolinian construction of the rest of the building. Within this room sat Count Dochlov Zimmermann, Vionna-Frankenlisch's Prime Minister. With an apologetic smile on his face, Zimmermann gestured towards two seats and said, "Please, gentlemen, sit down. I'm sorry for not seeing you, I had to check on the King. His doctor still won't let me see him, poor chap is not quite all there at the moment." Dochlov looked sadly towards the floor but looked back up at the pair enthusiastically only seconds later, "Please, sit. What did you wish to speak to me about?"

Letwinist States: Tohen (in regards to the resistance and the Colony of Altenhoulwerder), Students
New Edom: Aaron Nemgadi, Ruth
Noordeinde: Ambassador Hoffman

As a side note, Carolinian refers to Victorian as Queen Caroline is V-F's equivelent to the UK's Queen Victoria.

[Shalum]

Fort Vyaniah
Istvahan, The Duchy of Hallefeld
The Empire of Shalum

“I seem to remember telling you that there cannot be another crisis,” there was a pause as the speaker took a drag of his cigarillo and flicked away a few errant ashes into a hard carved stone tray, “because my schedule is already full.”

“Tensions with Ossoria are settling, and it is likely that the army will be ordered to stand down as soon as the peace talks are over, general.” Sitting across from the man, Countess Hera Mercado’s lips were quirked into a small smile of amusement as she regarded him with one leg crossed over the other. “As far as I can tell - you just need to solve this one issue, and you’ll be home free. At least for a while.”

“And why can’t a Solaris do it?”

“Would you really trust one of them to get the job done?” She pointed out with a quirk of a perfectly manicured eyebrow. “They spend too much time in their boardrooms, and not enough in the trenches. It is why your house was chosen for this, and not theirs.”

General Peter Vyander let out a small sigh, and a cloud of smoke along with it, as he set his smoke aside and spared a glance out the window. His office overlooked a large mustering field, which was abuzz with activity. Due to the recent increase of readiness conditions, training had been put on a temporary hold. The field had gone from a place where units exercised to a rallying point. There was a tension in the air, but not of the nervous kind. Many of those present were veterans, and their cool confidence seemed like enough to bouy the younger and less experienced. The motor pool was no better, as mechanics had been ordered to rush up all their work orders in preparation for deployment.

“What are they giving me to work with?” Peter finally said as he looked to a manilla envelope that she had delivered to him.

“A detachment of Kasrkin.” It was the sort of news that would have made anyone a bit more at ease, and the general was no different. An independent branch, they were usually found where the fighting was the heaviest. They were the tip of the spear, and the hammer that broke the back of any enemy formation. Their officer corp that they drew their leaders from was a bit different in the sense that most were of noble birth. Every someone as low as a sergeant could have been a baron or count. “Plus an aviation support group. Your standard fare as they go, really.”

Hera motioned vaguely to the file and continued. “Aside from that, the squids will be providing us with the naval support we obviously need. Two carriers, one assault and one super, as well as an escort group.”

Vyander whistled softly. “They’re sending in the Markus Holland? Isn’t she brand new?”

“Every inch of her, yes. She was ordered shortly after the Empire entered into the coalition. Most of her crew is brand new,” the navy had to scramble to raise the thousands of sailors needed to keep the vessel afloat, “but her air wing is mostly veterans that have been shuffled around. They will come in handy when it comes time to support our boys on the ground.”

“How long do we have until we’re expected to ship out?”

“One week, assuming the diplomats can’t work out some sort of peace agreement before then.” The countess replied as she unscrewed the cap of a water bottle. “With the units in question already mobilized, it is just a matter of embarking them when the time is right. The Bishop of Aragon has already stated that he will give general absolution to every Imperial service member during the easter service.” She took a sip of her drink. “Rest assured, you will be allowed to retain your own command team, though you will be augmented with attaches from the other branches, as well as several observers from Imperion.”

“Then there isn’t much time,” Vyander replied with a grimace.

“No, there isn’t, general. With any luck, the people we have on the ground will prevent a war before it kicks off, but…” She chuckled wryly. “Knowing the fickleness of man, I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you. Godspeed, soldier, you’re going to need.”